a quick "slap on the hand"; not sufficient to change the culture of kickbacks.Joe, I agree with you. Realtors, builders and their affiliates, such as escrow companies, mortgage companies, etc. need to be audited as well. CFPB is cleaning up our fee loaded industry.'about time.

The problem is this company will continue this practice as long as the only penalty is a fine and not a more sever consequence such as being restricted to conduct business for a specfic period of time. Fines are the cost off doing business and only further absorbed by the consumer.

Lenders with Office space inside of Real Estate Office's should be banned. The Lender is very savvy on how to compensate the Realtor(s), many times it is already in the leased office space payment. While your at it look at the builders that have 'in-house' lenders. STOP THE MADNESS!

I work for a real estate owned mortgage company. To paint everyone with the same brush is unfair. I compete against a local lender that has given trips, cash, paid advertising etc. I am the one complying with the law. To just smear an affiliated business as if it is inherently doing something unethical is dead wrong and unfair. I never jumped on the" all broker's are bad band wagon". Because after they are done chewing up brokers and affiliates, guess what? they will need something to feed on next.

I work for a real estate owned mortgage company. Many are making the case that affiliated somehow equals unethical. Nothing could be further from the truth. I compete against a local (non affiliated) mortgage lender that pays for advertising, trips etc. I have had many of our agents tell me they won't use us because they are getting free (fill in the blank) from lenders that violate the rules. Please don't automatically paint everyone with the same brush. The regulators set their sights on brokers, now it's affiliated businesses. Before you get too comfortable, who do you think they will feed on next? We need to go after the bad apples regardless who they work for.

Marketing/Sales agreements are what is being used to camoflage kickbacks to Realtor housed lenders.......not all bad but it's just another example of the many ways the industry rationalizes kickbacks. I agree with Linda....bad apples are what should be thrown out.....not just slapped on the wrist.

I agree with Linda.....bad apples are the problem regardless of how the industry masks kickbacks or unfair competition. Marketing/Sales Agreements are one way the industry seems to tolerate getting around some of the regulations. Some are legit....some are BS!

In the name of transparency and to avoid conflict of interest, Mortgage companies, Title, Escrows, affiliated services and Realtors need to be separate entities independent from one another. A regulator, while auditing Wells Fargo was amazed at finding out the long reaching tentacles in about 200 or more Affiliated business... It is no wonder all of us at the lower echelon are fighting over crumbs.